At age 25 Derek Venturi had it all. His band D-Rock was blowing up the charts, everywhere he went he was recognized, and he was in a long-standing relationship with Kendra. So why was he so unhappy?
He and Kendra had been dating for eight years and she had started to change. She had become more self-centered, and started treating Derek like crap. Lately she had started inviting all of her Cheerleader friends over daily, and when they would come over she would tell him to go on some errand or ignore him completely. He was constantly broke from "lending" her money to pay all of her bills, and from all of the shopping spree's she would take with his credit card.
It was a Tuesday when Derek decided to go shopping for new clothes. As soon as he got off of work he picked up his cell and called Kendra. 'Ring…Ring…Ri- "Hey this is Kendra-"'
"Hey Ken, its Derek-" he started but stopped suddenly as the message continued. ' " I'm not at my phone right now so leave a message"'. He hung up the phone not wanting to leave a message, and then called Edwin.
"Hey bro what's up?" Edwin's voice had matured over the years. It was no longer squeaky but deep and smooth.
"You wanna go to the mall?" Derek asked.
"When? Today?" he asked sounding disappointed.
"Yeah today. Can you come?"
"Sorry, me and Liz are going on a date… but Casey's not doing anything. I'm at her house right now. Hold on I'll ask her." Derek had to hold the phone away from his ear when he heard Edwin yell "CASEY!!!!!!!!!! DEREK WANTS TO KNOW IF YOU WANNA GO SHOPPING!!!" 'Did he have to yell into the phone?' Derek thought while wincing. "She said she'd go. Meet her at the mall in fifteen minutes."
"Thanks Ed."
"No problem"
"And Ed… have fun tonight." He hung up the phone. This was going to be interesting, he hadn't seen Casey ever since she decided to go to college instead of tour with D-Rock. They had spoken on the phone a few weeks back. She was doing okay, she had broken up with her boyfriend Dennis, but she didn't seem that upset about it, and she was working at the bank. He had told her everything about how his life was going- well everything except for his relationship with Kendra. He didn't think she'd want to know about Kendra.
An hour after they met up, Derek found himself in a store full of dresses. "Casey come on. You've tried on like 100 dresses already. Pick one! I'm hungry."
"C'mon Derek I've only tried on ten." She said to her defense. As she exited the dressing room in her street clothes, she held all ten dresses. "See?"
"You're not buying all of those are you?" he asked while pointing to the mountain of dresses in her hands.
"Of course not." She said giggling.
"So which one are you buying?" he asked. Maybe it was going to be the red one on top, that one was cute.
"None." She said while putting them away. At the sight of Derek's jaw dropping she quickly added, "I didn't like the way they fit."
"None of them? We just spent 45 minutes in here and you're not going to buy anything?" he asked in disbelief. "Whatever I'm hungry. Can we please go to the food court?"
On the way to the food court Derek and Casey saw Kendra walking towards them with her friends and close to twenty shopping bags in their hands. "Hey babe!" Derek said, and then he and Casey watched as Kendra, her friends, and the shopping bags walked right past them without saying anything. He stood there looking shocked and then he called her name four times. When she still didn't turn around he gave up.
"Derek… is everything okay between you and Kendra?" immediately after she said it she felt stupid. Of course everything wasn't okay he practically yelled her name down the hall and she didn't even turn around.
"Yeah, everything's fine." He lied, and he knew she knew he was lying. He couldn't even convince himself.
"Derek! You said 'hi' to her and she just walked by you like you were… like you were…"
"Invisible" he offered. "Yeah, it's been like that for a while."
"Oh, that's horrible." She gasped "why would she do that?"
"I don't know," he said sadly.
"Well I'm here if you ever wanna talk." She said. He was glad he knew he could always count on her.
They ate in silence and when they were done they went home. When Derek got to the apartment that he shared with Kendra, she was already there with her friends. "-turi is such a looser." She stopped talking for a second when she heard the door close. Then she noticed Derek and continued. "You see, he's so pathetic. He just stands there like a lost puppy."
You talk about me as if I'm not there
You don't even whisper cuz you just don't care
"You know he's standing right there right?" asked Stacy. She had seen Derek walk in and was wondering why he didn't say anything.
"He doesn't care! Watch this," Kendra said to the girls. "Derek!" she barked. "go into the kitchen, and get us some drinks." She watched him stand there in silence, then added "Now!" sarcastically.
I stand there and listen to my life go by
And at times I wonder why I even try
"Soda… right." He faltered as he went into the kitchen. 'What's wrong with me?' he wondered. 'Its like I've lost all of my confidence, like I'm suddenly insecure around her.' He grabbed five sodas and went back into the living room.
Well I try because I like to finish what I start
And I have faith it can get better tomorrow
" Here you go." He said as he gave each of the four girls a soda and sat down with his. When he sat down next to Kendra, she looked annoyed.
"You see how well I've got him trained?" she asked her friends. "Now go away." Derek looked hurt, but left anyway.
But it won't if you keep treating me
Like I'm invisible
He had had enough. He heard the girls laughing at him as he left and decided to take a drive. He wasn't paying attention to where he was driving. He was just driving away from Kendra. By the time he stopped in front of a yellow house with a maple tree in the front yard, he had made up his mind about what he was going to do. He walked up the pathway to the house he hadn't been to in at least five years. He rang the doorbell and she came to the door. "Well, well, well…" she said. "Derek Venturi; twice in one day. What happened? I just saw you an hour ago."
"No time for that Case. I was wondering… do you still have my suitcase?"
"Yeah, I think so. Why do you need it?" she asked.
"I'll tell you later, I need to borrow it." He said at she lead him into her home. It hadn't changed much in the last five years. There were a few new pictures on the walls but other than that, everything was as neat as he had remembered. He picked up his cell and called Kendra. 'Ring'
Say that you won't treat me
The way you're treating me
'Ring…Ring…'
Say that you won't
"What do you want?" was the greeting he got when she picked up the phone. Derek suddenly remembered how she had treated him at the mall. She just walked right by him without saying anything.
I see you but you just keep looking right through me
Like someone you don't even see
'Why do I want to be in a relationship with this woman?' he thought.
Like I'm invisible
' I don't even think she wants me anymore' he thought bitterly as he stood there with the phone to his ear.
"Hello?" she asked. "are you still there? Cuz your not saying anything."
"Oh…uh I'm coming back." He told her.
"Well you can't. My friends are still here." She said demandingly"
"Well I am. So drop it."
When he got back to the apartment with the suitcase, he heard her talking about him. "He is such a hopeless looser. And he's so pathetic that no other girl would go out with him. Honestly I don't know why I'm with him… I can do so much better."
You brag to your friends how much I must want ya
You said I was someone you could do with or without
"Well if you're so convinced that you can do better… then why don't you leave?" Stacy asked.
"Because he'd never leave and he's paying my bills. It just wouldn't feel right." She turned around and noticed Derek with the suitcase. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Leaving."
You're so confident that I'd never leave you
No wonder you're surprised that I am walking out
"What?!?!" she asked in disbelief. He ignored her and started to walk to their room. He placed the suitcase on the bed and began to empty his drawers.
Well, I have to leave no matter how sad it might be
Because this hurt's become my reality
And I won't let you keep on treating me
Like I'm invisible
"You can't leave me baby." She pleaded. He turned around to look at her for a second. Thinking weather or not to respond.
Say that you won't treat me
The way you're treating me
Say that you won't
He threw on his trademark smirk, continued packing then turned back to her and said "Watch me."
"You can't leave me I need you." She confessed. She hoped that he would change his mind. But then she saw something in his eyes that she hadn't seen in a long time; determination.
"Oh, you need me? What about all that stuff you were saying about how you could do better?" he spat with venom. He was leaving. He had made his mind up, and nothing she said would change it.
"I…I didn't mean it."
"Kendra," he said as he closed his suitcase and moved to leave. "find better." He walked thru the living room, looking at all the girls staring at the two of them. He walked out the door without saying good bye and got into his car.
I see you but you just keep looking right through me
Like someone you don't even see
Like I'm invisible
He drove back to Casey's house. On his way, he called her to tell her that he left Kendra and would need a place to stay for a while. "You can always go back to mom and George's." she joked.
"No. No I am determined to live on my own." He said defensively over the phone. "So, I need a place to stay and I was wondering… can I stay with you?" he asked.
"Of course you can, you know I was just joking. But you can't hog my bathroom or eat all the food in my refrigerator."
"Deal" he said. "I'll be there in five minutes."
"And you can only stay for a little while cuz I don't have that much space."
Well I finally got the nerve to move on
Cuz a fly kind of guy like me
Surely deserves more, much more
A year later Casey and Derek were dating. She was still in college and he was still in D-Rock but they made time to see each other in the summer and during breaks. Casey was still a control freak, but he didn't mind as much as he used to.
My new love can see what's inside of me
And she told me to thank you
For the good love that you blew, and oh
One day they were shopping at the mall when they saw Kendra and her friends. She walked up to him and started to talk. "Uh, you know what. I think I'll leave you two alone for a while." Casey said as she went into a dress store.
"Okay, but don't stay too long." He whispered into her ear. He turned back to Kendra who looked disgusted.
"You can't really like her." She said.
I wish you could see the way she looks at me
She don't keep me insecure or treat me lovelessly
She don't hide me from her friends
When we have company
"What do you want Kendra?" he asked not really interested in the answer.
"To get back with you. And I know you wanna get back with me, I mean LOOK at me." And as she said that he thought of all the bad times he had with her. How she always made him feel insecure.
"Why would I want to get back with you? I love Casey and all you ever did was treat me like crap. You made me feel like I didn't even exist"
And she never ever makes me feel
Like I'm invisible
"Okay, so maybe I wasn't as nice as I could have been…" she paused when she heard him snort. "But wasn't the sex good?" she asked seductively.
Derek couldn't believe that this was her defense. " 'Wasn't the sex good?'" he mocked. "What? Do you mean when you would throw me out of the room right after we did it? You know what, you don't really want me so why don't you and your friends go buy stuff."
And after we lay here, she wants me to stay here
I'm not just for making love then expected to leave
I'm not only someone used for helping her ends meet
And she'd never ever walk on by me
Like I'm invisible
He walked into the dress store and found Casey. She didn't have anything in her hands and he was wondering if she really was in here to shop or spy on him. Whatever the reason, he didn't care. "C'mon, lets go" he said once he found her. "I'm hungry, you hungry?"
"Yeah, lets go."
As they headed towards the food court, they passed Kendra who had still not moved. They passed her and Derek did not turn around when she yelled his name.
Like I'm invisible